Moisture studies of a self-drying roof: Tests in the large scale climate simulator and results from thermal and hygric models
Simultaneous experiments on the moisture behavior of six low-slope roof systems were performed in a climate simulator. The systems comprised a self-drying design over a conventional metal deck, a self-drying design over a significantly more permeable slotted metal deck and four others over conventional metal decks: a system typical of US construction with a liquid water permeable vapor retarder, a system typical of European construction with a liquid water permeable vapor retarder, a top-ventilated system with a polyethylene vapor retarder, and an impermeable control system with a polyethylene vapor retarder. Total weight of each test panel was measured and recorded continuously, along with temperatures and heat fluxes, to compare the behavior of the various systems. The authors imposed steady-state temperatures from hot summer to cold winter conditions to obtain the R-values of the construction dry insulations in each panel. Temperature cycles typical of hot summer days and mild winter days were then imposed above the construction dry assemblies to obtain baseline diurnal performance. The authors applied a one-dimensional thermal and hygric model. The solid and slotted deck were assumed to differ only in water vapor permeance. A model was not attempted for the top-ventilated system. The 1-D model predicted very well the slow rates of wetting in the winter cycles and both the slow then fast rates of drying in the summer cycles before and after water addition, except it overpredicted the drying rate for the US construction with a liquid water permeable vapor retarder.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-96OR22464
- OSTI ID:
- 296883
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/CP-98416; CONF-981201-; ON: DE98007238; BR: EC1206000; TRN: AHC29903%%281
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 7. thermal performance of the exterior envelope of buildings, Clearwater Beach, FL (United States), 7-11 Dec 1998; Other Information: PBD: [1998]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Moisture effects in low-slope roofs: Drying rates after water addition with various vapor retarders
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